Hello!
Welcome to Peak Adventure Stories, dedicated to the mountains, wild places, and the people who love them. If you have climbed one mountain or 1000, you belong here.
Why this site? We want to share our love of wild places, mountains, and healthy living. So many times we have told each other how lucky we are to be able to climb all day without seeing a soul in the heart of the Rockies. We celebrated our engagement (1983) by climbing Uncompahgre Peak and have been climbing ever since. We know how fortunate we are and want to share a bit of this lifestyle.
Terry Schmalz
Terry spent her professional life teaching children and adults. A lover of learning, Terry has dedicated her career exploring how children develop literacy. She founded the magnet school, New Emerson Elementary, in 1996 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Terry retired as principal of New Emerson after a 40 year career in education. Terry balances a hectic schedule by spending as much time as possible in nature running and climbing. Her specialty: flower identification. Her Native alter ego: Running Bear
Mark Schmalz
Mark taught elementary and middle school before becoming an elementary principal. Mark then spent years teaching new teachers and leaders at Colorado Mesa University before retiring after a 40 year career. Mark balances life by spending much time in nature climbing mountains. He became an Ellingwood Society member in 2011 by climbing all 637 peaks above 13,000 feet in Colorado.
Pahgre Schmalz
Pahgre (short for Uncompahgre) completed climbing his 1000th peak in 2024. Pahgre spent five years as a therapy dog for Hope West bringing joy to patients at the most needed time. Currently, Pahgre spends a portion of each day running in wild places. His stamina and energy are truly remarkable. Even at nine years old, he climbs 100 peaks a year and can go 20 miles in a day.
